Forests

Changes are afoot to dramatically wind back cornerstone federal environmental protection laws. Under these changes, State Governments would be given sweeping powers to assess and approve major development projects. If implemented, these changes would be a disaster for our nation's environment and wildlife.

Forest campaigners at the Brazilian Consulate in Melbourne today to call on Brazil to reject a proposal from FuturaGene, a biotechnology firm wholly owned by Brazilian pulp and paper company Suzano, that would see a massive commercial release of genetically engineered trees.

Friends of the Earth has been alarmed to see that koalas are still be impacted on by plantation logging in South West Victoria. Recent footage sent to Friends of the Earth shows a koala with baby being felled inside a plantation owned by the Cayman Islands based, Australian Bluegum Plantations Pty Ltd.

Deforestation of Southeast Asian rainforests and logging-related human rights violations are major problems compounded by global over-consumption of tropical timber products and by inadequate laws and purchasing policies, according to a new Friends of the Earth International report released today. [1]

The Coalition intends to ‘streamline assessments and approvals’ processes for major development projects. It says it will set up a ‘one-stop shop’ for environmental approvals to cut what Mr Abbott calls ‘green tape’ (but what most of us call environmental protection).

Under these changes, State Governments would be given sweeping powers to assess and approve major development projects. If implemented, these changes would be a disaster for our nation's environment and wildlife.